The words of Chen Mo reached Cao Xiyue’s ears, like the sunshine of a spring day. She nodded gently, her cheeks flushed red.

Then Chen Mo took off the robe he was wearing and draped it over Cao Xiyue’s shoulders.

Cao Xiyue pulled the white robe closer in front of her, feeling the warmth of Chen Mo still lingering on the clothes. Her eyes turned into a spring of soft waves, whether recalling something or not daring to meet Chen Mo’s gaze.

Before long, Liu Xuan rushed out with a team of constables.

"It’s the young lady." Someone shouted.

"Daughter, daughter, are you alright?" Cao Benyuan, protected in the middle by the constables, rushed forward the moment he saw Cao Xiyue. He hugged Cao Xiyue tightly, feeling his previously anxious heart settle slightly.

However, when he saw his daughter’s disheveled hair and the robe of Prince Zhen Nan upon her shoulders, Cao Benyuan’s body stiffened suddenly, as if he had guessed something.

But with so many people around, Cao Benyuan couldn’t easily voice his questions, so he pulled his daughter aside to ask quietly.

With his daughter’s candid admission, Cao Benyuan’s suspicions were partially confirmed.

His daughter said she was drugged with an aphrodisiac by the bandit, and he (Chen Mo) rescued her.

Drugged with an aphrodisiac, saved by Prince Zhen Nan, and now wearing his clothing, with rouge on Prince Zhen Nan’s neck—how was she rescued? Cao Benyuan understood clearly.

In an instant, his heart was left profoundly conflicted.

"Thank you, Prince Zhen Nan, for saving Xiyue. This subordinate is eternally grateful." Liu Xuan was already thanking Chen Mo. Xiyue was his niece, whom he regarded as family.

"What? Prince Zhen Nan?" The bandit lying on the ground was dumbfounded upon hearing this. He... he turned out to be Prince Zhen Nan.

Why would Prince Zhen Nan be here?

"Smack..." But before he could think further, someone hit him on the head with a stick. Angrily, a constable shouted, "Bold bandit, how dare you kidnap our young lady?"

Then he looked up and asked Cao Benyuan, "Sir, how should this bandit be dealt with?"

At this moment, Cao Benyuan, who had just collected himself, was expressing gratitude to Chen Mo. Although this person had ruined his daughter’s "purity," he had indeed saved her.

Upon hearing his subordinate’s inquiry, Cao Benyuan frowned, a trace of malice flickering in his eyes. If it weren’t for this person, his daughter wouldn’t have encountered such a thing. He spoke apologetically but with a hint of flattery, "Prince Zhen Nan, what do you think?"

"Since the incident happened in your jurisdiction, I’ll leave it to you to handle." With that, Chen Mo strode out, saying, "If there’s nothing else, I will take my leave."

"This subordinate respectfully sees off Prince Zhen Nan." Cao Benyuan bowed deeply.

"Prin..." Cao Xiyue raised her hand, wanting to call him to wait and return his clothes later. However, Chen Mo tapped his toes and vanished into the distance.

Watching his departing figure, Cao Xiyue felt a pang of emptiness in her heart, not expecting him to be the legendary Prince Zhen Nan. Indeed, just as handsome as in the novels.

However, the disparity in their statuses also created a vast sense of distance in Cao Xiyue. Even though she wasn’t looking for him to assume responsibility, as the first man besides her father to be this close to her, his noble status felt worlds apart, making it somewhat... surreal.

After all, this separation might mean they’ll never meet again.

And her demeanor didn’t escape Cao Benyuan’s notice. Originally harboring a sliver of hope to inquire further upon returning, he now realized there was no need.

The two of them must have done that, which explains why Xiyue’s drug was neutralized.

"Father, why did Prince Zhen Nan come to rescue... rescue me?" Cao Xiyue asked.

Cao Benyuan first recounted the events of the day to her, then said, "It was your uncle who, upon learning of your abduction, immediately sought out Prince Zhen Nan, though it turned out to be a step too late..."

Cao Benyuan sighed.

He knew that this was not Prince Zhen Nan’s fault. Without Prince Zhen Nan, who knows what the outcome might have been. But his daughter’s innocence was lost like this, and as her father, that pained him deeply.

Moreover, given the disparity in their statuses, it wasn’t feasible to hold Prince Zhen Nan accountable.

"Uncle, where does Prince Zhen Nan stay?" Cao Xiyue asked Liu Xuan.

"Xiyue, are you going to find him?" Seeing Cao Xiyue in her current "mistreated" state, Liu Xuan roughly guessed what had happened.

Cao Xiyue nodded: "This robe I’m wearing belongs to Prince Zhen Nan. I plan to wash it thoroughly and return it to him in the morning."

Liu Xuan nodded and told her where Prince Zhen Nan was staying.

"Sir, how should he be dealt with?" A constable inquired after the conversation ended, approaching Cao Benyuan.

"Cripple his cultivation, castrate him." Cao Benyuan said coldly.

At his words, the constables below inexplicably felt a chill in their groins.

And upon hearing this punishment, the bandit turned pale, rolled his eyes, and promptly fainted in terror.

For a flower thief, castration was a fate worse than death.

...

Upon returning to the Government Office, Cao Benyuan specifically instructed his subordinates not to mention the night’s events, as if nothing had ever occurred.

After all, such an incident could create an immense psychological shadow for a woman.

Cao Benyuan wanted his daughter to forget about today as soon as possible. So, upon returning home, he didn’t engage in heart-to-heart talks, instead urging her to rest well in hopes she’d sleep off today’s events.

However, how could Cao Xiyue possibly sleep, staring at the white robe given by Chen Mo, lost in thought. It took a long while before she came to her senses. She fetched water, washed the robe herself, used True Qi to dry it, folded it neatly, and placed it beside her pillow. She planned to return it to Chen Mo early the next morning...

Yet when she went to return it the next day, she was informed that he had already left.

Cao Xiyue was taken aback.

...

By the afternoon, in the mountain forest a hundred miles away from the Jiang River, the environment was serene and beautiful, the roads smooth and wide. Chen Mo looked up slightly, able to see a manor shrouded in a gentle mist on a distant mountain peak.

"Is that the Wu Family?" Chen Mo asked.

Wu Xin’Er smiled and nodded, then placed her thumb and index finger to her lips and blew a sharp whistle that echoed through the forest. Frightened birds and beasts scattered, and soon, Chen Mo sensed three figures approaching their location.

"They’re here," Wu Xin’Er said.

Jiang Ruoqing looked into the distance, witnessing the three figures darting through the forest. In several leaps, they covered a great distance. Within mere breaths, they arrived before Chen Mo and his companions.

"Miss Xin’Er." The three respectfully saluted Wu Xin’Er, then began to appraise those around them. Before they could speak, Wu Xin’Er said, "This is my husband, Prince Zhen Nan of the Great Song."

At her words, the three were taken aback.